Toxic hazards in old equipment

[VK4WDM]

The previous thread on oil-filled caps prompted me to remember to ask about a situation that has occured at the RAAF museum in Townsville.

We had a Commonwealth HAZMAT team do an assessment of the museum late last year. One of their recommendations is that all of our communication equipment be displayed in glass cases, not on open shelves or tables, because of the danger to staff and the public due to exposure to toxic substances, namely asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's).

This is going to be a real pain to implement. Glass cases are expensive, and we are also very proud of our "hands on" displays where people can spin the dial of a working receiver, or kids can use field phones or a morse sender and receiver to send messages to one another.

Most of our equipment is WW2 vintage and it is my understanding that PCB's did not come into use until the mid 1950's. Am I right?

I have delved into the innards of this sort of gear for decades and I don't remember seeing any obvious asbestos either.

We do have some Vietnam war era gear in storage. I guess we will have to look closely at that to see if there are any components that might be suspect for PCB's.

I am writing a response to the HAZMAT teams report and would appreciate any advice.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK8DOD]

Wayne,
With all due respect to you and others concerned, on reading the other post regarding PCBs, I was going to write a tongue in cheek reply that a better caution was that Hams had a higher chance of dying from being immobile in front of a desk or sitting around watching TV and not getting enough exercise, before we contaminate ourselves sufficiently from PCBs, or lead fumes from soldering, or toxicity from Heatsink paste.
I know that not all of us are blessed with perfect health and that was why I held back the first time. However, your post pushed me over the edge enough to have to write this.
At work, it has been mentioned in mostly exclamatory ways that OH&S has reached new silly season heights. Common sense has departed this country.
The fact of the matter is that the Government's running scared after years of ignoring the problem.
One of the "Working at heights" instructors from an Adelaide safety training company discussed this with us last year, the fact that everybody in the safety industry is aware of the over-legislation. Supposedly, the Commonwealth is working on simplifying the legislation.
I'm still waiting.

[ZL3PX]

Jeez must be more careful crossing the road might get wiped out by an old flying condenser can

[VK4WDM]

I agree that a lot of this sort of stuff is over-stretched paranoia, but the museum is located on Commonwealth land and we have to abide by the rulings of HAZMAT inspectors whether we like it or not. My argument is that the majority of the equipment predates the use of PCB's and that displaying it in glass cases is not required, but I need as much evidence for the article as possible.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK2GOM]

Hi Wayne,

The first PCB's were synthesised in a lab back in 1881, so I guess the 'pre-dates' line is not strictly a valid argument.

However, as we all know, the risk is exceedingly low. PCB's were indeed used in some capacitors and ballasts, but quite how this is meant to translate into the worst case scenario of a stupid human ingesting the PCB when [let's assume for a second] it's inside a component, inside a radio... only one of these over eager OH&S enthusiasts could possibly dream that one up.

I'm sure there are far more 'real' (large pinch of salt) 'hazards' like people walking into door frames, tripping on steps, choking when they eat their entrance tickets or loose change etc. If the OH&S types really want to justify their employment in this field, you could argue that things like that should be assessed and mitigated before going to the ridiculous end of specifying glass cases for equipment that until now has posed no risk.

One thing that could strengthen your case is precedents. What other museums are there around? Even abroad. What do they do? Have they ever had a problem with humans ingesting PCB's from display equipment?

Good luck with it, and I hope common sense prevails. We are no longer at the thin edge of the wedge for OH&S. It's already reaching ludicrous levels

73 - Rob VK2GOM / G0MOH

[VK6ZGO]

Back in the day,we used to clean up the oil which had seeped out of the caps in old Marconi TV Transmitters with "Singlet ends" (Cleaning cloths),as a standard part of our maintenance routines.
We did wash our hands thoroughly afterwards!
Initially,when people started to worry about PCBs,we were assured that they didn't contain them.but later,it was admitted that they did!

Another good trick was when we were issued with Asbestos gloves so we could remove PA valves while they were still hot!
They were furry,with little bits coming off & were useless for the intended purpose,as their insulation properties were much exaggerated,
We used the aforementioned "Singlet ends" instead!
Eventually they were withdrawn,& replaced with cotton ones that did work,though wool would have been best.

What with PCBs & loose Asbestos fibres,the dear old Commonwealth was out to get me!
So far,none of it "took",& as that was 20-30 years ago,it's taking an extremely long time to do so!

73,VK6ZGO

[VK2XSO]

I'm wondering if they overlooked anything

The first thing that jumps to mind is Beryllium Oxide. Nasty stuff that poses a hazard much like asbestos. Don't disturb it and there usually isn't too much of a problem. It's found in heatsink areas. I've found it associated with transistors in old microwave amplifiers. It's not something that leaks or is exposed.

Radium in the glow in the dark paint that is often found on dials is another. Again, it's behind glass and usually enclosed in meters.
Secondary to that is Radon gas which is emitted from the decay of Radium.